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Labels dehumanize people, justify hatred
Read MoreOur “traveling road show” culture loves to put labels on people, especially people who refuse to buy a ticket to their show. As a retired reporter, I understand the value of tagging people. Labels make it possible to study and write about wide swaths of…
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Mourning a tree in blossom
Read More(May 2020, Geneva, Ohio) Its five main limbs resembled the biceps of a circus weightlifter. They emerged from the low-set trunk just a few inches above the former orchard’s soil; twenty-inches in diameter at their widest, the limbs rose like a worshiper’s arms and terminated…
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The lost skill of frugality
Read MoreFrugality. There’s a word you rarely hear on YouTube or see on electronic screens these days. With the alleged booming economy, I suppose most Americans don’t have much need for frugality in 2020. But it hasn’t been that many years ago when being frugal was…
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Breaking the web
Read MoreHe always carried a pocket knife, just as his father and grandfather had done. His was a small one, two blades, both of which were kept sharp and ready for whatever chore befell them. They whittled sticks onto which hot dogs and marshmallows were pushed,…
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A garden far removed
Read MoreThe garden is so tired, yet the summer is not done with us, and so it attempts growth. A green pumpkin hangs tenuously onto the fence, a withered vine feigns support. I have no idea what it keeps it alive. A tomato plant blooms, as…
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I don’t want to be a rock star
Read MoreThe following line is from a job description: This is a fantastic opportunity for a rock star creative who wants to help … We don’t need another rock star. And I sure don’t want to be one. Frankly, I’m sick of rock stars and divas,…
